Automatic safety-valve.



E. B. WADDELL, JR.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY VALVE. APPLICATION mw OCT. 30, 1914. RENEWED FEB. 2,1916.

1,1]. 96,318.. Patented Aug. 29, 1916. /6 m7 /6 Ar I A7 a? #92 5/ 42 w a/ az W 4 517 /7 J6 q u 6 L7 (7 j 22 ,/7 *2 7 /7 E A 26 25 /6' g T Z T w /5 T Z .27 Z 7 2/ m 6 7% flg g CY Q6; 6 '57 m m \H M H EDWARD B. WADDELL, JB., OF WILLIAMSON, WEST VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY-VALVE.

tracers.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented AugQQQ 1916.

Application filed October 30, 1914, Serial No. 869,451. Renewed February 2, 1916. Serial No. 75,860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD B. IVADDELL, J12, a citizen of the United States, residing at Williamson, in the county of Mingo, State of WVest Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Auto matic Safety-Valves; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain novel and useful improvements in automatic safety valves.

In the present instance I have shown and described a safety valve particularly adapted for use in connection with gas mains or pipes, but I wish it to be understood that the invention is not limited in its useful ap plication to this particular purpose, as it may be employed in conjunction with mains or pipes carrying other fluids.

In carrying out my invention it is my purpose to provide a valve of this character which will automatically close lwhen the pressure of gas or other fluid passing through the main or line falls below a predetermined minimum degree.

Still a further object of my invention is the construction of a safety valve wherein provision is made for the reopening of the valve and the locking of the same in opened position when the pressure has again reached a predetermined degree.

It is also my purpose to provide a valve of this type wherein the working parts will not be rendered inoperative through corrosion, deposits of dirt or gummy substances upon its parts, or through the accumulation of other foreign substances in the valve.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a iion-leakable safety valve which will embody the desired features of simplicity, efliciency and reliability, and which may be manufactured and marketed at a relatively low cost.

With the above recited objects and others of a similar nature in view, my invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View taken through a valve embodying my invention and showing the same in open position. Fig. 2 is a similar view, but showing the valve in its closed position. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line -83 of Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a detail perspective View of the locking clip. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a portion of one of the diaphragms and its shank.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, the letter A designates the valve casing having the inlet 1 and the outlet 2, while 3 indicates the usual partition having the fluid passage 1 therein, the upper beveled wall 5 of which forms a seat for the valve B. This valve is provided with the depending guide legs 6, while 7 designates the disk of the valve which is adapted when closed to rest upon the seat 5. Threaded on the tubular extension 8 of the valve casing is a valve bonnet C which includes an annular internally threaded section 9 adapted to screw on the extension 8, a neck 10 extending upward from the annular section 9, and a central sleeve 11 formed integral with the neck 10, the lower end '12 of this sleeve projecting into the valve casing, while the upper end 13 extends into the diaphragm or pressure chamber D. This diaphragm chamber D includes a cylindrical intermediate wall 14 threaded as at 15 for the reception of correspondingly threaded flanges 16 of the convexed or outwardly curved end walls 17. Thebottom of the wall 14 of the chamber D has a circular opening 18 therein, the wall of which is threaded as at 19 for the reception of the threaded neck 10 of the valve bonnet. This valve bonnet C is provided with a series of vertical fluid passages 20 which provide commu nication between the tubular extension 8 of the casing and the chamber D. The valve B is provided with a tubular valve stem 21 which is adapted to slide through the sleeve 11 of the bonnet, this stem having an annular shoulder 22 formed internally thereof adjacent the upper free end of the end of the stem, the inner wall of this free end of the stem being outwardly beveled between the shoulder and the end of the stem, as shown M23. The upper end of the sleeve section 13 is provided with diametrically opposite vertical slots 24:.

The letter E indicates a locking clip which is preferably made of wire, bent intermediate its ends as at 25 to form the up- .wardly diverging arms 26, these arms being bent inward toward each other to form the shoulders 27 the arms then extending vertieally in parallelism as at 28, and being then bent laterally as at 29 in opposite directions, the lateral portions of the arms extending through the slots 24, the terminals of the arms being then bent downward as at 30. This locking clip is shown in detail in Fig. 4, and as will be seen, is of approximately hair-pin form, with the ends of the arms bent into hook-like shape so that the arms will not jump or spring through the slots in thesleeve. The top of the sleeve is provided with a cap 31 which covers the slots and prevents the locking clip from springing upward therethrough, and this cap is held in place by a cap nut 32 which is threaded into the upper end of the sleeve. At opposite sides of the chamber are disposed the vertical diaphragms 33, which are preferably made of thin, flexible, spring metal, or of other suitable material, to permit of the necessary expansion and contraction. Extending through the center of each of these diaphragms is a flat shank 34, upset to form the retaining head 35, the opposite end of the shank having an aperture 36 therein through which passes the depending or hook end 30 of the adjacent arm of the clip, so that the locking clip is connected to the two diaphragms.

Each of the end walls 17 of the chamber 1) has an aperture 17 formed therein for the escape of air when the diaphragms are expanded, thereby releasing the air pressure between the diaphragms and the walls 17. It will be noted by reference to Figs. 1 and 2 that the diaphragms are clamped at their peripheral edge portions between the end walls 17 and the ends of the intermediate wall 14 upon which the end walls 17 are screwed. The bore ofthe tubular stem of the valve at its lower end terminates in a solid, depressed or conical wall 37, which when the valve is in its elevated, open or locked position, lies just beneath the lower end of the locking clip. Extending through the bottom of the valve casing is the plunger 38, the inner end of which is provided with a head 39, adapted when the plunger 7 is moved inward by manual force to strike against the valve B and elevate the latter from its seat. This plunger is provided with a collar. 40 located below the head which limits the outward movement of the plunger, this collar being adapted to seat on the beveled wall 41 surrounding the bore in the valve casing and through which bore the plunger. projects. The outer end of the plunger is provided with a knob 42, while 43 is a suitable stuffing gland through which the plunger works, a coil spring .44 being interposed'between the stuffing gland and the knob. and normally tending to 'force the plunger outward away from the valve B,

so that the collar 40 seats on the beveled wall 41.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and manner of operating my valve will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. In Fig. 2 it will be seen that the valve is in its closed position, while in Fig. 1 it is shown in open position. Presuming the valve to be closed as shown in Fig. 2, if it is desired to open the same to permit the passage of gas or other fluid through the valve casing from the inlet 1, through the passage 4 in the partition and thence to and through the outlet 2, the operator presses inward on the knob 42, thereby thrusting the plunger head 39 against the bottom of the valve B elevating the valve disk from the seat 5 or to the position shown in Fig. 1. This upward movement of the valve disk causes the tubular valve stem to slide upward in the sleeve with the annular shoulder 22 at the upper end of the stem riding upward 011 the arms 26 of the locking clip until they strike the shoulders 27 of the clip when they will ride over these shoulders 27 and catch thereon. Now thegas flowing from the inlet 1 of the casing has, of course, passed into the chamber D through the inlet ports or passages in the bonnet, and this pressure of gas in the chamber D has pushed or forced the diaphragms 33 outward, thereby pulling the hook ends 30 of the locking clip in opposite directions, and tending to move the shoulders 27 of the arms of the clip apart, so that as the sliding stem of the valve moves upward, and the annular shoulder 22 of the valve stem catches over the shoulders 27, the pressure of gas in the chamber forcing the diaphragms outward will cause the clip to hold the stem in locked position, thereby holding the valr e in elevated position. Now, should the pressure of the gas in the main, for any reason, drop or fall below a predetermined degree, the pressure in the chamber D will be correspondingly decreased so that the diaphragms 33 will collapse or move toward each other, and this inward movement of the diaphragms releasing the strain or outward pull on the arms of the spring locking clip will permit these arms to move toward each other, thereby withdrawing the shoulders 27 of the arms of the clip from beneath the annular shoulder 22 of the valve stem, and the weight of the valve and its stem will cause the valve to drop until the disk 7 thereof rests upon the seat 5, thereby shutting ofi the flow of the gas through the valve casing. WVhen it is desired to raise the valve it is only necessary to again push inward upon knob 4201 the plunger to cause the head 39 to impinge against the valve B and lift the latter from its seat.

In order to insure that the valve disk will at all times fit snugly upon the seat 5 when in closed position, I provide the disk with a rubber gasket or ring 45 having a central opening, this ring being slipped over the stem until it rests upon the top surface of the disk 7 and this ring or gasket is held in position by means of a suitable nut 46.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided an exceedingly simple, yet efiicient form of safety valve adapted especially for use in connection with gas mains, for it will be observed that should the pressure in the valve and in the chamber D thereof for any reason drop in consequence of the falling of pressure in the main, the valve immediately seats and shuts off the flow of gas through the outlet 2, thereby preventing accidents which frequently occur due to gas being shut off or the pressure dropping to such a degree as to extinguish the flame, and the gas being again turned on or the pressure again rising to normal without the knowledge of the persons in the building.

While I have'herein shown and described one particular embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to all the precise details of construction herein set forth by way of illustration, as modification and variation may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a valve casing having an inlet and an outlet and apassage therebetween, of a pressure chamber communicating with the inlet, a valve controlling the passage between the inlet and the outlet and having a tubular stem, a diaphragm within the pressure chamber, a valve locking device connected with the diaphragm and projecting into the tubular stem and normally held in looking engage-- ment with the stem when the diaphragm is expanded by the pressure within the chamber and means adapted to be actuated to open the valve and move the stem into interlocking engagement with the locking device when the. latter is in its locking position, the decrease of pressure in the chamber below a predetermined point causing the diaphragm to move the locking device out of engagement with the stem to release the valve.

2. The combination with a valve casing having an inlet and an outlet, and a passage therebetween, of a pressure chamber communicating with the inlet, a valve controlling the passage between the inlet and the outlet, a pair of diaphragms within the pressure chamber, a valve locking device connected with both diaphragms and normally held in looking position when the diaphragms are expanded in relatively opposite directions by the pressure within the chamber, and means adapted to be actuated to open the valve and move the latter into interlocking engagement with the locking device when the latter is in its locking position, the decrease of pressure in the chamber below a predetermined point causing the diaphragms to collapse to move the locking device to unlocking position to release the valve.

3. The combination with a valve casing having an inlet and an outlet and a passage therebetween, a pressure chamber communicating with the inlet of the valve casing, a valve controlling the passage between the inlet and the outlet of the valve casing, a tubular stem for said valve having a shoulder at its free end, a resilient locking clip extending into the stem, and a pair of oppositely acting diaphragms located within the pressure chamber and adapted to be expanded by the pressure within the chamber, a plunger operable outside the valve casing for opening said valve and moving the shoulder of the valve stem into engagement with the locking clip, said stem being held in locked position and the valve elevated when the diaphragms are expanded by the pressure of gas in the chamber, the decrease of the pressure in such chamber below a predetermined point permitting the diaphragms to contract to release the valve stem from the locking clip and allow the valve to close.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD B. VVADDELL, JR.

Witnesses:

R. B. CAVANAGH, GEO. H. CHANDLEE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

